Groundwater and Lakes
Monitoring Options
Wisconsin Lakes Conference April 2010
N. Turyk
Water Resource Scientist
Groundwater Monitoring
 How much/what proportion of groundwater is entering a lake?
 Where groundwater is entering a lake?
 What is the water quality of groundwater entering a lake?
 What are the options for sampling groundwater that is entering a lake?
Water Budget for a Lake
The amount of groundwater entering each lake is different!
Precipitation
Streamflow In
Streamflow Out
Groundwater
Runoff
Tributary Inflow
Precipitation
Options for Measuring
Groundwater Volume and Water Quality
 Wading in the shallows
 Observations – open water in winter
 Mini wells
 Seepage meters
 Private wells
Mini Piezometers (wells)
Seepage Meters
Open Ice Observations
 Early in the day or on a
cloudy day


30oF to 45oF
not below zero the night
before
 Estimate the distance
from shore to where the
ice begins
 Talk with ice fishers
and residents to
determine if there are
other areas that are
frequently open
Open Ice and Mini Piezometers
Private Well Samples
Water Quality Analyses and measurements depend upon the question you are
trying to answer!
Some Common
Measurements






Temperature
pH
Specific conductance
Nutrients (laboratory)
Pesticides (laboratory)
Chloride (laboratory)
A Few Water Quality Results
Landuse affects amount
of nutrients &
contaminants in soil
Groundwater
and
Landuse
Rain soaks through soil,
dissolves nutrients,
& becomes groundwater
Groundwater that flows
to lake carries minerals,
nutrients, & contaminants
Septic
systems
and water
quality
Byron Shaw, 1999